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Registration is now open here for the 19th edition of European Paper Week 2017, November 28 -30 at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Brussels, Belgium.

This year CEPI celebrates its 25th anniversary and to mark this occasion we will be holding a very special anniversary dinner at Brussels’ famous Royal Museum of Art and History. For the first time ever the Pulp and Paper International (PPI) Awards will also be held in conjunction with the anniversary dinner.

The theme this year ‘Sense the Future’ revolves around the five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Through various interactive exhibits you will be invited to discover new dimensions of what paper & the products beyond have to offer.

European Paper Week registrants will be treated to a unique ‘Sense the Future’ exhibition space where guests will be invited on a journey of discovery of several of the industry’s most innovative products.

For this year’s High-Level session CEPI will be joined by Gunther Pauli, a prolific TED speaker, serial entrepreneur and author of the renowned book ‘The Blue Economy’.
The full event programme can be consulted online here. This year’s agenda brings back a lot of the best that European Paper Week has to offer and plenty of new experiences including the first ever European edition of Blue Sky Young Researcher Awards and an ICFPA session focused on global industry challenges.

Register here now before September 30 to avail of the early bird fee of € 510, after this the regular entrance fee of €590 applies. A fee of €100 is in place for attendees to the special 25th anniversary dinner and PPI awards. Press, EU officials and a limited number of students may register free of charge.

For more information please visit our website here, follow the dedicated event hashtag #CEPI25 or get in touch at epw@cepi.org

StepChange continues to be the platinum sponsor of European Paper Week re-enforcing its commitment to the industry. As a management consultancy solely specialised on pulp, paper and packaging StepChange takes a pragmatic approach, turning strategy into measurable business results and increased shareholder value.

The European organisations representing forestry and agriculture sectors as well as woodworking and paper industries see the reaction of the European Parliament within the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) regulation as a positive step. The Parliament voted today in favour of a more dynamic forest reference levels to account for emissions and removals from sustainably managed forests.

EUSTAFOR, CEPF, Copa and Cogeca, CEPI and CEI-Bois recognise that the Parliament calls for flexible and forward-looking rules when establishing forest reference levels. However, further work is needed to ensure that the full potential of sustainably managed forests and wood-based products in mitigating climate change is fully accounted for as the final formulation of the regulation will be agreed in trilogues.
It is crucial for the European Union to keep promoting the use of domestic forest resources and the development of the entire forest-based value chain.
“This vote has put investment in Europe’s forests back at the forefront of the LULUCF regulation. This is a win-win for Europe’s climate strategy and the 1.8 million people working in the forest-based bioeconomy chain,” says Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI.
“The voting result encourages Member States to continue using their growing forest resources sustainably in order to decarbonize the European economy. However, there still remains quite some room to further improve the LULUCF regulation,” says Piotr Borkowski, Executive Director of EUSTAFOR. “Actively and sustainably managed European forests are essential to allow the European Union to play a leading role in combining environmental integrity with societal needs and economic development.”

“This is a step in the right direction for a policy that puts the EU on track to meet the Paris Agreement goals. It enables continued investments into the forest sector and sustainable forest management – the best long term strategy to maintain the carbon sink and ensure multiple benefits from our forests”, says Emma Berglund, Secretary General of CEPF.
Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said: “Today’s vote upheld sustainable forest management practices and recognised the billions of investments made in rural areas. Sustainable harvest practices go hand in hand with the multifunctional role of forests. This brings excellent results for the climate, society and the economy. It makes no sense to outsource the provision of sustainable raw materials for our bioeconomy in non-EU countries. Diseases and forest fires are equally disastrous and Member States should be given the opportunity to manage the forests in a way that addresses also these important challenges. Future discussions with the Council must ensure that every country, no matter how big or small, has the opportunity to continue managing their forests in a transparent and science-based manner with a long-term strategy, without fear of being penalised or infringing private owners rights”.

In a first of its kind project the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) has called upon its member companies to voluntarily exhibit innovative, emissions-reducing projects that centre on increasing energy efficiency and promoting the use of renewable energy sources.

The ‘To Our Roots and Beyond’ project puts the focus back on the industry’s leading role in contributing to a sustainable, low-carbon society. The project demonstates how industry is taking responsibilty in reducing its carbon emissions, as well as taking a leading role in providing bio-based solutions to decarbonise society at large.

In total, the project gathers 14 innovative case studies from 10 EU countries, involving 12 companies representing a diverse array of projects. The innovative projects which focus on energy efficiency and/or renewables are indicative of the diverse means the paper industry has at its disposal to reduce emissions whilst building upon its unique strength as an entirely renewable material.

“Our industry has set a vision to unleash the full potential of the bioeconomy by 2050, driving both value creation and deep decarbonisation. This project demonstrates how we put words into action and what it takes, on the ground, to turn ¬vision into reality through smart industrial integration, innovation in energy efficiency or advanced use of renewables” says Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI

As part of its commitment to reducing emissions this project will be renewed on a bi-annual basis. This project will remain a permanent feature of the industry’s commitment to put into practice its vision outlined in its ‘2050 Investment Roadmap’. The project website, including a link to the brochure, can be found here.

In February 2011 CEPI relaunched its Roadmap putting into action its vision to reduce emissions by 80% while creating 50% more added value. The Roadmap envisions the need for €44 billion additional investment - a 40% increase on current levels – to lead the transition towards a low-carbon bioeconomy by 2050.

The Environment Committee (ENVI) of the European Parliament today adopted the draft report of the Committee’s Rapporteur, MEP Norbert Lins, on the regulation of Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF). The policy is of utmost importance for the forest and agricultural sectors as it defines the climate benefits of forest management and the use of wood.

A key element of the regulation is how to account for emissions and removals from forests. As a part of the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, the European Commission proposed new EU LULUCF accounting rules for forests using a “Forest Reference Level” based on past (1990-2009) management practices and intensity.

Today, the ENVI Committee decided to continue this approach by voting in favor of a compromise to compare forest management intensity in 2020-2030 to the historical period of 2000-2012.

The approach of comparing future forest use to historical management intensity has been heavily criticized by the forest and agricultural sectors. The latter point to the fact that, in order to take advantage of the full potential of long-term benefits from sustainably managed forests and harvested wood products as regards climate change mitigation and adaptation, Forest Reference Levels must take into consideration the most recent data on forest resources and relevant policies. While the efforts made by the EP Committee are to be acknowledged, substantial work is still needed to improve the proposal.

“We should not penalize countries that did not use the full sustainable potential of their forests in the past. Member States should be able to use their growing forests for developing a fossil-free bioeconomy and forest owners should be enabled to continue investing in sustainable forest management – the best long-term strategy to maintain the carbon sink and ensure the climate benefits of forests,” says Emma Berglund, Secretary General of CEPF.

“Forest resources are growing in Europe and we should promote the use of sustainably-sourced wood from European forests to reach the climate and energy targets and to develop a sustainable bioeconomy. In fact, the EU Forest Strategy calls for management, growth and the use of forests, and this goes far beyond just considering them as a carbon stock,” says Piotr Borkowski, Executive Director of EUSTAFOR.

“A dynamic Forest Reference Level is essential for ensuring investments are made where it matters most: in sustainable forest management. Let’s keep Europe’s forests on a pro-growth trajectory that both maintains Europe’s forest carbon sink and unleashes the true potential of its bioeconomy,” says Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI.

"Use of wood from sustainably managed forests is THE key to concretely tackle climate change. European regulators must have the ambition to set a coherent and lively Forest Reference Level to maintain the forests carbon sink and ensure proper material availability that will allow the society to fully benefit from the carbon storage offered by Harvested Wood Products," says Patrizio Antonicoli, Secretary General of CEI-Bois.

“We seriously regret the vote in the Environment Committee,” underlines the Chair of the Copa & Cogeca Environment Working Party, Liisa Pietola. “It is a loss for the rural community’s growth and jobs and the climate. Countries are suffering more and more from extreme weather events and forest fires, and this will penalise them further. We are the only sectors that remove emissions from the atmosphere. The opinion of the Agriculture Committee was completely ignored.”

The umbrella organizations of the forest, paper and agricultural sectors in Brussels urge all MEPs to look at the big picture concerning the climate change mitigation and adaptation of forestry. In the transition period from a fossil-based society, all outlets of forestry are needed and benefits should be examined in the long term.

EUSTAFOR, Copa and Cogeca, CEPF, CEPI and CEI-Bois remain confident that the upcoming discussions in the European Parliament and Council will have a positive impact on the further development of the proposal.

Today the EU decided to launch investigations against Turkey for breach of EU-Turkey Customs Union and WTO rules confirming the validity of a complaint lodged by the European paper industry.

CEPI, the independent voice of the paper industry in Europe, presented a trade complaint (Trade Barrier Regulation (“TBR”)) to the European Commission on the 24 April 2017. The complaint concerned the unfair non-automatic import licensing system established by Turkey concerning, inter alia, EU exports of certain varieties of paper including office paper, books, envelopes and paper used for direct mail marketing (otherwise known as uncoated wood free (“UWF”) paper). This is both the first time a TBR complaint has been launched in almost ten years and the first time CEPI as an industry association has lodged a trade complaint.

"Today’s launch of this investigation is an indictment of the Turkish authorities’ reluctance to maintain a level-playing field when it comes to free trade. Turkey should withdraw, in the spirit of the EU-Turkey Customs Union and its WTO commitments, any unfair trade barriers” say Sylvain Lhôte, Director General at CEPI.

The unfair non-automatic import licensing system puts at risk over €150 million worth of EU exports of these varieties of paper. At a time when global free trade is under increasing pressure the European paper industry urges the Turkish authorities to stand on the side of free trade. The paper industry already exports 22% of its entire produce outside the EU and will continue to remain an advocate for free trade and take a firm stance where this is put at risk.

What can be expected next? Within a five to seven month period the Commission will now engage in a detailed investigation of the concerns raised by CEPI resulting in a report which may warrant the launch of WTO proceedings.

Background to the trade complaint: Following an inconclusive safeguard investigation on UWF imports in 2014-2015, Turkey extended in 2016 an existing import licensing system which targeted €150 million of EU exports of UWF paper products. The Turkish non-automatic import licensing system with regard to UWF paper is based on an arbitrary price threshold and creates a significant and unfair obstacle to EU-Turkey trade. As such, the contested system poses a clear violation of WTO and EU-Turkey Customs Union Agreement.

Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union: the link to the publication can be consulted here.

In the background of increasingly uncertain global markets, European production of paper and board demonstrated resilience in 2016. This not only continues the trend of recent years but exceeds the performance of other key paper-producing regions including the United States and Canada.

European consumption of paper and board has exhibited a rise for the third consecutive year, growing by 0.3% in 2016, driven by stronger demand for certain categories of paper products particularly sustainable packaging, hygiene and speciality papers. The rise in consumption has also had a knock-on effect on imports into CEPI countries which rose by 4.5% in 2016 (7.2% of total European paper consumption). Despite this trend and increased competition globally the industry remains a net exporter, exporting approximately 21% of its production.

On another positive note a 2.7% increase was witnessed in pulp production putting a halt to recent years of decline. This was buoyed by an increase (17.8%) in the export of market pulp to non-CEPI countries, particularly Asia (20.8% increase). Utilisation of paper for recycling has remained relatively stable as in previous years exhibiting a slight increase in 2016. The collection of paper for recycling has also moved in the right direction, displaying a modest increase of 1.0%. At the same time, exports of paper for recycling have increased by 5.6% the majority of which reached Asian markets (91.7%).

Additional information: CEPI’s key statistics, audited by Deloitte, are the primary publication of reference for the most up-to-date statistics on European industry production and market developments. The statistics are a compilation of data received by CEPI members (national associations with pulp and paper companies as members) under the auspices of CEPI’s Statistics Network. Some additional sources, such as Eurostat, have been used where necessary and relevant. Extra statistical information is accessible to members on CEPI’s Members Area and to non-members by subscription. To subscribe for our extensive statistics offer for non-members please visit our website here.

About CEPI:
The Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre and paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers 495 companies operating more than 900 pulp and paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp and other bio-based products. CEPI represents 22% of world production, €81 billion of annual turnover to the European economy and directly employs over 175,000 people

Member States today agreed their negotiating mandate on Circular Economy waste proposals, paving the way for trialogues with the European Commission and Parliament. EUROFER, CEPI and Eurometaux now appeal for all EU institutions to prove their Circular Economy ambition, by working constructively towards a single measure of real recycling.

Axel Eggert, EUROFER’s Director General: “Every institution has now acknowledged that Member States need to start calculating recycling rates at the same point, which is not the case under present legislation. However, the Parliament has been the only institution to propose the right solution: a single measure without derogation. We’ll be working with policymakers to make the best of the proposals, and to aim for one measurement at the input point of the final recycling process. The worst possible outcome is one where we are left with a permanent loophole that allows Member States to circumvent requirements”.

Sylvain Lhote, CEPI’s Director General: “Today three of Europe’s recycling leaders have united to emphasise the importance of measuring ‘real’ recycling rates. Making the Circular Economy happen in Europe means we must be able to measure the actual recycling rate. This will allow better targeting of investment where it matters most - better systems of collection and sorting that enhance the quality and quantity of what is recycled which in turn boost industry development”

Guy Thiran, Eurometaux’s Director General: “Until we have a common method to measure how much of our waste gets recycled, it doesn’t matter whether the EU’s headline recycling target is 65 per cent or 70 percent. EU negotiators need to make a strong calculation method their top priority. We can only gage the realism and ambition of recycling targets once we know what Member States will be measuring”

About CEPI: CEPI is the pan-European association representing the forest fibre & paper industry. Through its 18 national associations CEPI gathers over 500 companies operating 940 paper mills across Europe producing paper, cardboard, pulp & other biobased products. Building on its target of achieving a 74% effective recycling rate within the next three years CEPI is at the forefront of making the low-carbon circular bioeconomy a reality in Europe through its 2050 ‘Investment Roadmap’.

Contact Person: Ben Kennard, Press Officer, b.kennard@cepi.org

About Eurometaux: Eurometaux is the decisive voice of non-ferrous metals producers and recyclers in Europe. With an annual turnover of €120bn, our members represent an essential industry for European society that businesses in almost every sector depend on. Together, we are leading Europe towards a more circular future through the endlessly recyclable potential of metals.

About EUROFER: The European Steel Association (EUROFER) is located in Brussels and was founded in 1976. It represents the entirety of steel production in the European Union. EUROFER members are steel companies and national steel federations throughout the EU. The major steel companies and national steel federations in Switzerland and Turkey are associate members.

SÃO PAULO – The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) eighth biennial International CEO Roundtable today took place in Berlin, Germany. More than 20 forest based industry CEOs and association leaders from around the world met to discuss industry innovation, sustainability aspects, current political aspects and future trends that may impact the industry at local and international levels.

“The global forest and paper industry stands firm in achieving its sustainability commitments based on its common values. Today’s conference provides us with an opportunity to reaffirm these values in today’s interconnected and fast-paced world,” said Peter Oswald, Mondi Group CEO designate (from 11 May 2017), who chaired the roundtable.

The CEOs discussed industry improvements in sustainability practices and innovation. They also watched the 3 global finalists of the Blue Sky Young Researchers and Innovations Award presenting their projects in a wide range of activities relevant to forest-based science, products using forest-based raw materials, process improvements or other innovations throughout the value chain. The global finalists of the Award and their respective projects can be found here

Keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Michael Huether, economist and director of the Institute der deutschen Wirtschaft, provided insights about the effects of Global Political Disruption on the forest based industry.

The next ICFPA International CEO Roundtable will take place in Canada in 2019.

Note to editor:

The ICFPA represents more than 30 national and regional forest and paper associations around the world which can be found here.

The European paper recycling value chain has already made significant strides on the paper recycling rate in the EU, having reached a near theoretical maximum of 71.5% in 2015. The industry is now seeking to make another move forward with an enhanced rate of 74% by 2020 building on the progress achieved since 2000 by preceding European Declarations on Paper Recycling.

“Having already achieved an effective recycling rate of 71.5%, the European paper recycling value chain is willing to go a step further with a new 74% target. This elevated rate will play an integral role in boosting the circularity of Europe’s economy” says Ulrich Leberle, Secretary of the EPRC/Raw Materials Director at CEPI.

Further steps will also be made to enhance the quality of paper recycling with greater emphasis on recyclability in design and manufacturing of paper products and improving techniques for removing ink from paper products.

In order to achieve this rate, a numberm of key conditions must be in place:

On waste targets, there should be a landfill ban on recycled paper in place by 2020 and the Waste Hierarchy should be implemented with energy and renewable energy policies taken into full consideration.

The EU should ensure that conditions are in place to allow for effective separate collection of paper and take action against countries where comingled collection is practised.

Exports of paper for recycling outside the EU should be curtailed and aligned in a manner that an increase in the collection of paper is higher than an increase in the net trade of paper for recycling.

European and national authorities should avoid conflicting product-related policies that prevent paper being from being recycled.

The current practice in which Member-States calculate their recycling rates based on different methods should cease in favour of an aligned EU-wide method, allowing for comparable and real calculation.

With these conditions in place, the entire value chain can achieve the revised target and move it a step further, making recycling work for an effective European circular economy.

For more information, please contact Ulrich Leberle at u.leberle@cepi.org or by phone at (+32 262 7 49 23).

Note to editor:The European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC) was set up as an industry self-initiative in November 2000 to monitor progress towards meeting the paper recycling targets set out in the 2000 European Declaration on Paper Recycling. Since then the commitments in the Declaration are renewed every five years. In 2017 the EPRC committed itself to meeting and maintaining both a voluntary recycling rate target of 74% in the EU27 plus Switzerland and Norway by 2020 as well as qualitative targets in areas such as waste prevention, ecodesign and research and development. In 2017, Members of the ERPC are ACE, CEPI, CITPA, EMFA, ETS, FEPE, INGEDE and INTERGRAF. Supporters are Afera, EuPIA, FINAT and RadTECH Europe. The European Commission, DG Environment and DG Grow, are permanent observers to the EPRC.

The 6th edition of the European Paper Recycling Awards will take place the 18th October in the European Parliament hosted by europarliamentarian Ms. Simona Bonafè, rapporteur of the Circular Economy package and champion of the importance of recycling.

The Awards provide an occasion to shed the spotlight on the innovative projects changing the way we think and do paper recycling and help Europe achieve its goal of a 74% paper recycling rate by 2020.

Any paper recycling related project or campaign can now be submitted here to be within a chance of headlining this year’s Award.

There are two categories for submission and a separate award will be granted for each category:

1) Information & Education
2) Innovative technologies and R&D
The awards are open to all entities based in Europe including schools, universities, NGOs, national and regional authorities, companies and associations.

Application deadline: Monday 3 July 2017
Further details can be consulted on the FAQ page here

The European Paper Recycling Awards are run by the European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC) which encompasses the entire paper recycling value chain across Europe. To learn more about the EPRC and its activities and how its plans to get Europe’s recycling rates to 74% by 2020 check out their website here.

For further information please contact Annie Xystouris at a.xystouris@cepi.org or by phone at (+32) 322 6 274 924